


Voltron: Legendary Defender

by queenof_midnight



Category: Voltron: Defender of the Universe (1984), Voltron: Legendary Defender, Voltron: Legendary Defender RPF, Voltron: Lion Voltron
Genre: Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Bromance, F/M, Female Character of Color, Galra Keith (Voltron), Gay Keith (Voltron), LGBTQ Character, LGBTQ Themes, M/M, Mentions of Other Voltron Paladins, Multi, Other, SHEITH - Freeform, Space Dad Shiro (Voltron), klance, ships, universe - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-16
Updated: 2018-08-17
Packaged: 2019-06-28 11:50:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15706653
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queenof_midnight/pseuds/queenof_midnight
Summary: This is my first time really writing fan fiction. I started this because of my passion for both Voltron and writing. These chapters are based on scenes that pop into my head as well as inspired from fan art and fan posts this talented fandom has created. I can't promise you that every chapter will follow on the previous one though I will do my best to keep it consistent. I also can't tell you what this story will be about because even I am still figuring this out as I go. All I can say is that it's written from the heart. This is my way of expressing my excitement about this show. I ship couples that are not always canon like Klance and Lotura and Shadam. I understand if you do not ship the same people as I do, what I do ask is that you stay respectful towards my fanfic and don't hate on it simply because of who I ship. Klance is my otp and I'm very passionate about them as well as this entire show. Writing fanfiction is my way of being creative and being a part of this fandom. So if you've made it this far, I hope you enjoy my story (that will mostly be about Klance but will also contain Shadam and later on Lotura)Much love,Joyly





	1. The Beginning

Lance could not believe how wrong everything had gone. He had no idea where the rest of the paladins were at the moment but he did not care. He only cared that they weren’t here with him. He did not care whether they were still being attacked by the Galra, did not care whether the castle was still under siege.  
All he cared about was Keith in his arms, blood splattered across his face. He had lost Keith in the heat of the battle being surrounded by Galra shooting at them from all sides from which he had barely gotten away with his life.  
Only to find Keith on the ground, covered in blood. He had rushed to his side, barely catching himself as he tripped over a body of one of the Galra now dead at his feet.  
He did not feel the pain coursing through his knees as he fell down beside Keith, cradling his unmoving body in his arms.  
“Keith! Keith, can you hear me? Open your eyes.” Lance’s heartbeat sped up at the fact that Keith did not respond to him. In fact, he could barely feel him breathing.  
Frantically, Lance placed his body back down to start searching for injuries and the source of all this blood.  
Blood. There was so much blood on him. It seemed like it had no end and no begin and Lance could not detect where it came from.  
Panic started to get the better of him and before he knew what he was doing he called for help.  
“Shiro!” The sound of his voice echoed down the now empty hallways and he prayed Shiro was near enough to hear his call for help. “Someone help!”  
A breathy sound escaped from Keith’s lips, dragging Lance’s attention back to him. He placed his hands on both sides of his face, wiping the blood away from his cheeks. “Keith, can you hear me? Stay with me, help is coming. I need you to stay with me okay buddy?”  
But he wasn’t sure whether help was coming. He did not know whether their friends were still fighting the Galra or fighting for their life. All he knew was that none of them had been prepared for the enemy to find them this quick in this part of the galaxy. And now he had no way of knowing whether help was on the way or how long Keith could hold on. All he knew was that he was here and he had to find some way to help Keith before it was too late.  
But what did he know of healing, of trying to save someone’s life?  
“Allura! Coran! Hunk! Pidge!” He called their names one by one, hoping someone would hear him but to no avail.  
There was still fresh blood coming from a wound Lance could not find. The sight of it brought Lance to the brink of tears.  
Cradling his friend in his arms, he held him against his chest as memories flashed before his eyes.  
“Shiro!”  
He remembered the stories he had heard of him at the Academy. He remembered being so jealous of Keith, the star pilot. He remembered him flunking out and in a way, he had been glad because Keith being gone meant there was room once more for him to become the best.  
Because he had always known he could never be better than Keith. He had always admired Keith’s quick reflexes and reckless elegance when flying. His quick wit and, if he was honest with himself, the unjust fact that despite sporting this insufferable mullet and that ridiculous jacket, Keith still pulled quite a lot of appreciative looks. Not that Lance would have noticed, or Keith for that matter. He always seemed to be the mysterious loner.  
But then life changed so abruptly overnight and he found himself forming a team with his rival. He could not remember how they had moved from rivals to friends but somewhere along the way he had begun to care deeply for the boy now numb in his arms.  
He had come to depend on their banter to take his mind off his home on earth, had come to rely on Keith’s company when his mind became too loud. He had started to love fighting with him rather than against him. And in all that time they had fought alongside each other, he had never once told Keith how important he had become in his life. And now he might never know.  
“Keith, please.” He whispered against his friend’s cheek. “I need you. You don’t know how much I need you.” He wasn’t surprised to find his cheeks wet with tears. They had started to flow moments ago and he had made no effort to stop them.  
With each passing second, Lance felt Keith’s body grow weaker, his breathing almost nonexistent, his heartbeat faltering with each beat.  
“Shiro!” Lance tried again, hoping someone would hear him, hoping the castle would pick up his voice and send it to the main cabin. “Someone please help!” his voice broke on the last word as another sob rose up in his throat.  
He put his forehead against Keith’s. “I’m so sorry, Keith. I’m so worthless, I can’t even save you. I promise if you stay alive I won’t tease you anymore. I’ll be a good friend, worthy of your friendship. I promise I’ll -” A sound coming from across the hallway echoed its way to him. Lance stilled, grabbing his bayard to ready himself for any possible Galra that might have found him. No matter that he could not save Keith, he would not let them get their hands on his friend.  
But it weren’t Galra that ran for him. Even through the blurriness of his tear-stricken eyes, Lance recognized the black and white of Shiro’s armor.  
“Lance! Keith! What happened?” Shiro demanded once he had reached them.  
“We got ambushed by Galra, there were too many and - I lost Keith in the middle of it. I found him on the ground once after I killed them all I - I’m sorry, Shiro. I know you told us to watch each other’s backs and I . . . I failed.”  
“You didn’t fail, Lance, you’re still by his side are you not?”  
“He’s dying, Shiro, you have to help him,” Lance begged, looking at Keith in his arms.  
Needing no further instructions, Shiro carefully took Keith in his arms and ran off to the infirmary.  
Needing another moment before Lance could stand on his feet, he stayed on the ground, glancing at his bayard in his hands. He had never felt more powerless as the moment when Keith lay dying in his arms. He didn’t understand the feeling, couldn’t understand what had come over him. All of them were in danger every day they fought to save the universe. Every day could be their last and none of them thought twice about it. And yet every part of Lance’s training had shut down at the sight of Keith on the ground.  
Raking his hands through his hair, he tugged at the strands. He was better than this. He knew perfectly well how to handle situations like this and yet . . .  
A gleaming red in the corner of his eye caught his attention. Keith’s bayard. With a groan, Lance got up to retrieve it before slowly making his way to his friends.  
By the time Lance made it to the infirmary all his friends were already there. His eyes immediately caught sight of Keith in a healing pod, stripped of his armor.  
He immediately strode for the pod. None of the others noticed him until he was halfway across the room, all too caught up in their own thoughts.  
“Lance!” Pidge was the first to notice him, turning the heads of the others in his direction but he paid them no heed.  
“Lance, are you alright?” Allura asked once he reached her side near the pod. She reached for his face that no doubt looked scratched and bloodied up though he suspected that the majority of blood that had dried on his skin was from Keith.  
“How is he,” Lance asked Allura, purposely ignoring her concern. He did not deserve it anyway, not after how badly he had handled the situation with Keith earlier. He deserved every bruise he had gotten.  
“He’ll be fine. He just needs a few days and a lot of rest.” She told him and the words eased something in his chest.  
Looking at Keith, he seemed to be in a deep slumber. All the blood had disappeared and safe for a few scratches on his face and a bruise on his jaw, Keith looked alright.  
He was going to live.  
Lance let out a deep breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.  
“Coran,” Allura said, “we need to check up on the castle’s defenses and figure out how that Galra ship got past it without setting our alarms off. Pidge we’ll need your help.”  
“Got it.” Pidge answered, jumping up from stairs on which she had been sitting, obviously glad to be doing something.  
The attack had rattled everyone.  
One by one, they left, even Hunk who claimed he needed some food.  
Until the only ones left in the room were Lance and Shiro.  
Lance couldn’t stop looking at Keith, at his beautifully defined face. He had never noticed the sharpness of his jawline and how that one strand of hair always seemed to fall between his eyes. He found himself wanting to reach out and touch Keith’s cheekbones, feel his skin against his own, knowing that he was real. That he was still here with them. He wanted to crush him in a hug and never let go. He wanted to bury his face in Keith’s neck and smell his familiar scent of crackling embers, steel and a scent that was unique to Keith.  
A hand on his shoulder startled Lance out of his thoughts. “Don’t be so hard on yourself, Lance,” Shiro said softly. “You did everything you could.”  
Lance shook his head. “That’s not true. I forgot.” He said, turning to Shiro. “I saw Keith on the ground, barely breathing and every rational thought just left my brain. I should have dragged him to the infirmary, I should have run for help, I should have stopped his wounds from bleeding but all I did was hold him and cry. I’m pathetic.”  
“No, you’re not.” Lance had not realized he had said those last words out loud until Shiro’s steady voice resonated through the room. “You stayed by his side exactly like I told you to. You fought off all those Galra so you could find your way to Keith again. You did as I told you. You worked as a team.”  
Lance didn’t know what to say to that so he said nothing.  
“I’m going to see if they need help with something,” Shiro announced after a long silence. Lance couldn’t even nod, too caught up with the sight of Keith, with the knowledge that he wasn’t going to leave him.  
Lance was set on staying with Keith until he came out of the pod but soon his eyes started to grow heavy and then his head touched the ground.  
He only briefly woke up when Shiro carried him to his bedroom before he fell asleep once more.

***

Four days passed in which they luckily did not get attacked. Allura had led them to a remote corner of the galaxy, far out of reach of the Galra so that they were safe until Keith got better and they were able to form Voltron again.  
Four days. Lance grew more restless with each passing second. He needed to hear Keith’s voice. He needed to make snarky comments and get Keith’s annoyed one in return. He missed the way Keith rolled his eyes at every stupid thing he did. He missed their time together.  
He missed Keith.  
The thought rattled him so badly he dropped his bayard in the middle of training, causing Hunk to tackle him to the ground full force, knocking the breath out of him. But none of that mattered. Not when the realization he just had was enough to knock the breath out of him anyway.  
“Lance, are you alright?” Hunk asked as he held out his hand to pull Lance back on his feet. “What happened?” But Lance could not answer at the moment. Instead, he fled from the training room, needing the privacy of his own bedroom.  
His breathing was coming in ragged breaths and the edges of his vision became blurry.  
He almost sighed in relief once he reached his bedroom and dove right for his bathroom where he went for the sink to splash cold water in his face.  
How had he not noticed there was more to what he was feeling regarding Keith being hurt. How had he not noticed somewhere along the way this friendship had started to mean more to him. How had he not noticed his feelings for Keith had grown into something more than friendship.  
But there they were, fluttering in his lungs and rioting inside his stomach. And now that he knew they were there he couldn’t shut the feeling down.  
Because somewhere along the way,  
he had fallen for Keith.

***  
All Lance could think was how peaceful Keith looked inside that pod. He had been looking at Keith for the better part of an hour, waiting for him to get out.  
“This is insane, Lance,” He said to himself. “You’re acting crazy. Just go do something useful instead of sitting on your ass like a quiznak.”  
Pulling at his hair, Lance let out a frustrated breath before rising to his feet.  
He all but made it to the door when the soft sound of a voice halted him in his tracks.  
“Lance?” Lance whirled back around to see Keith out of his healing pod, weakly leaning against it.  
“Keith!” He rushed over to him to envelop him in a hug, something he had wanted to do for days now. Only when he held his friend, Keith hissed slightly as if still in pain. Lance immediately drew back, horrified at hurting Keith once more.  
But Keith did not look angry, in fact, he was smiling at Lance. “Easy there. People might actually think you like me.” And that crooked smile, that smile that was so Keith, brought Lance to the brink of tears as something tight in his chest eased now that Keith was standing again, talking, breathing.  
“You’re okay.” Lance breathed.  
“As much as I can be for the moment.” Keith smiled.  
Lance closed his eyes, needing a moment to reign in his emotions. He still did not know what to do about his feelings for Keith. He did not even know if Keith would ever return them. They had just become friends, how could he ever expect Keith to want more than friendship.  
“Hey, I’m okay,” Keith said softly, placing a hand on Lance’s shoulder. “I’m not leaving you.” At the mention of those words, Lance’s head snapped up and for a moment he was startled to find Keith’s face so close to his.  
“I heard you talking to me. I was this close to slipping away but somehow your voice tethered me to life. It felt as if we were tied together and I couldn’t let go as long as you were still pulling at your end of the thread.” Keith shook his head. “I know it sounds ridiculous -”  
“No, it doesn’t.” Lance cut in. “I understand.”  
Lance took a step back, needing to put some distance between him and Keith in fear that he would read all his feelings in his eyes. But Keith didn’t let him go far. Taking a hold of Lance’s, hand he bridged the distance between them until he was close enough to share a breath. “Thank you. For not leaving me. It means more than you know.” coming from a boy who was used to everyone leaving him in his life. A boy left behind by everyone he loved over and over again . . . Lance knew how true those words were.  
Lance only managed a smile, unable to form words through the lump in his throat.  
And then Keith pulled him in for a hug, and Lance found himself getting lost in the feel of Keith and the scent of him enveloping his senses. Lance closed his eyes and brought his arms around Keith, holding him tight.  
They stayed like that for a long time and all the while, Lance couldn’t help but feel like something vital had changed between them. He hoped that Keith could feel it too.


	2. Midnight Feelings

Lance wasn’t sure how long he had been lying on the kitchen floor. All he knew was that everyone had gone to bed hours ago and that the lights had gone out shortly after that. But Lance didn’t want to go to sleep yet. Not that he had gotten much sleep these past days. Because every time he tried to sleep he was taunted with flashes of Keith dying. Every time he closed his eyes he was hit with his feelings for Keith all over again.   
So here he was now, in his pajamas, hugging a bag of chips, trying to get a grip on his emotions.  
Stuffing his mouth once more, he groaned in frustration, draping an arm over his face. “Why is life so hard, I’m a good person I don’t deserve this. I used to be The Tailor. My biggest trouble was learning to fly a ship! What a mess I’ve become. Stupid Keith with his stupid smile and his stupid perfect jawline and his stupid face. Stupid, stupid - Ohhh Keith and his stupid face.” He sang aloud.  
“Lance, is that you?” Startled, Lance shot up, the bag of chips flying up, scattering chips all over him. Lance cursed.  
“Who’s there? I warn you I’m heavily armed . . .” Lance looked quickly around him for anything that could be used as a weapon coming up with a pan and a chip. It would have to do. Squinting his eyes, Lance searched the dark kitchen for any intruders.  
“Show yourself!” Lance shouted towards the dark hallway.  
A low chuckle sounded from the darkness and slowly, as it came closer, a silhouette. “Do you really think you can fight me off with a pan and a . . . chip?” He chuckled.  
A clicking sound filled the room and a moment later the lights switched on, illuminating Keith standing in the doorway with a smile on his face.  
“I have outstanding skills not to mention my charm could disarm anyone,” Lance replied, lying back down.  
“What are you even doing here?” Keith asked.  
“Why? Can’t I enjoy some chips in the middle of the night while singing into the darkness wondering about life?”  
Keith raised an eyebrow. “Should I even ask?”  
“Do you ever just get sad?” Lance whined. He wasn’t sure where this was suddenly coming from, only that it was the truth and now that he had uttered those words out loud he felt a heaviness settled over himself.   
“Do you ever stop being so dramatic?” Keith asked as he sat down next to Lance.  
“Can’t a guy have his late night thoughts in peace? I’m having an existential crisis over here show some mercy will you!”  
“Fine, what are you thinking about tonight,” Keith asked, leaning back on his hands.   
“I was just thinking about the team, you know. Everyone seems to have a thing. Hunk is our mechanic and a pretty good chef, Pidge is our super fantastic hacker like seriously I don’t know what she does or says half of the time. Shiro is our leader and a damn good one at that. Everyone has a thing, even you. But me . . . what am I even doing here.”  
“I have a thing?” Lance could not help noticing the amusement in Keith’s voice. “Yup you’re the one who does the cool junk like flying into asteroid fields and black holes. You make everything you do seem so cool, it’s annoying.” That made Keith chuckle at first thought it did not take him long to realize Lance was being serious for once.  
“Lance, of course you have a thing. You are as much part of this team as everyone else.”  
That made Lance sit up. “Oh yeah, what’s my thing?” He asked, his eyes slanted in a challenge.   
“You’re the funny one. You’re able to make everyone laugh at all times. When we’re all anxious for an upcoming battle, scared for our lives you’re the one who makes us laugh and forget about this war we’re in even if it’s just for a moment. I can’t tell you how important that is. Every day we fight for our lives, to save the universe and you, being you, your jokes . . . they bring us a moment of peace during these tough times.”  
A broad smile spread across Lance’s face. He could not believe what he was hearing.   
It was then that he noticed how close he and Keith were, inches apart. Lance found himself getting lost in the deep dark of Keith’s eyes and in that moment he felt something change in the air around them.   
“Well, that and you’re a kickass sharpshooter.” Keith finished with a wink.  
For a second, Lance was surprised by Keith’s flirtatious behavior. Keith who was always so serious now seemed light and . . . had he just made some sort of joke?  
“What’s up with you?” He demanded.  
“Huh, what do you mean?” Keith asked confused.   
“You,” Lance motioned to Keith, flapping his arms spastically in the air. “What happened to your broodiness Mr. ‘I’m too cool for you’! Now you’re acting all sweet and mushy and winky.”   
“Why do I even bother.” Keith sighed, lifting himself up from the floor.  
“Wait,” Lance called out when Keith had reached the exit. “Thank you . . . for what you said.”  
Keith gave him a long, serious look. “I meant it. You belong with us, Lance. Forever.”


End file.
